santa anna

In the decade before the American Civil War, the United States was preoccupied by efforts for interoceanic communication. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec represented the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, and prior to the opening of the Panama Canal, was a major shipping route. It was during negotiations to end the Mexican war of 1846-1848 that the United States began discussing ways in which the route could be accessed or purchased. Nicolas P.